FEAD 2018 Catalogue of case studies

The Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) is an instrument which shows Europe at its best: a Europe which protects. Covering basic needs is essential to ensure human dignity in an inclusive and caring society. The fund is used to alleviate the worst forms of poverty in the EU and to promote social inclusion for those at the margins of the society. The Europe 2020 strategy aims to reduce the number of people in or at risk of poverty and social exclusion by at least 20 million by 2020. Today, one in five Europeans still experience at least one form of poverty. But the numbers are going down due to steady economic growth. The number of people experiencing material deprivation has dropped by five million since the peak of the 2008 economic crisis. Contributing towards achieving this goal, FEAD supports two types of actions: The first consists of food and/or basic material assistance programmes, such as the distribution of food, clothes. The second finances supporting activities outside active labour market measures, such as non-financial and non-material assistance. At its best, the fund combines the distribution of food with accompanying measures, such as advice and information on available social services, basic counselling activities such as psychological support and therapeutic measures or workshops, for example on how to manage a household budget or on healthy nutrition. The case studies in this report show how FEAD is protecting and caring for Europe’s citizens and helping to lift them out of poverty, using a combination of material support and access to services. Looking ahead, we have renewed our commitment to alleviate the worst forms of poverty post-2020. We propose that Member States allocate at least 2% of their future ESF+ resources for measures targeting the most deprived. Integrating FEAD into the ESF+ will allow the continuation of the good practices outlined in this report and will better link material support with stronger social services and other forms of assistance. Marianne Thyssen European Commissioner for Employment, social affairs, skills and labour mobility Foreword Diverse approaches to supporting Europe’s most deprived: FEAD case studies 2018 6